Is it really 2009 already?

Last year went so fast and now we're already a month into 2009. I can't seem to keep up anymore. I've been working on an exciting project to create an all inclusive Autism resource center in the Tri-Cities (Autism Connections of Eastern WA) and I'm hoping that will be the big thing this year. It will be so wonderful to have one place where families can go for help. We've got a website up already with a down-loadable resource guide, check it out & share it with friends! .
We're still having a little too much fun at the middles school level this year. We were forced to call the police and file a report on another student after he told my son he was going to bring a gun to school. This student had been harassing my son since last Spring and yet there were no disciplinary actions on file for it. He got a slap on the wrist, but by us sending the cops to his house we finally got things to stop. Now we're struggling with a teacher that feels my son is lazy and a liar, when the real problem is he has a communication disorder and she's not following his IEP. It's sad when it's the teachers making things difficult and not the students.
I'm still working hard at the bridal shop (Formal Couture) and hoping to put on a Prom fashion show in the next month or so. Anyone know any cute teens that want to model some dresses? :)
This year I've decided to pay a bit more attention to this blog and at least aim for a monthly entry.... so someone out there in web-land remind me, please!
Happy 2009!!!

It's Autumn Time Again

Another school year has begun and so far so good. All four of my little monkeys are in school this year, meaning I should have more free time to get things done. In reality it means I make 5 trips to and from school a day, spend 2hrs a night helping with homework, and at least 2 hours a week contacting teachers & staff at the schools. Although both schools completely dropped the ball again and were not prepared for any of my 3 boys' needs, they have all been quick to assist when asked.
My oldest started 8th grade this year and is now officially taller than me. At age 13 he is 5' 9.5" and wearing size 11 shoes. Unfortunately not many companies make men's jeans in size 27x34! He is still struggling in school with finding friends, controlling his tics, and passing English & Social Studies. But he is becoming more comfortable with himself, making social choices on his own, recognizing voice inflection (and even commenting on it!!).
Child number two is doing amazingly well this year. I had pulled him out of public school last February because his OCD and sensory problems were leading to depression. We had a wonderful time homeschooling together but I knew he needed to be able to prove to himself that he could be okay in school. He had a relaxed summer, tried some antidepressants that didn't work as well as we'd hoped, and began managing his own mental health very well. Once school started he made friends with a new student that lives only 3 doors away and has Asperger's just like my oldest. The two boys are now the best of friends. It is so great to see him happy!!
Little man number three is also back in school and has even gone so far as to say he likes his teacher. With him being a very bored second grader last year we decided to put him in a 3rd/4th comination class to insure he was challenged. He's even surprised us and gone into the building with his class, not complaining at all about the sensory things that were such a challenge last year. We were also blessed that one of his best friends is in the class too, a sweet little girl that is wonderful at directing him when he gets panicked or looses focus. I hope we can keep this girl around for a long time! :)
My princess started Kindergarten and can hardly contain her excitement. She gets to leave with brothers in the morning and come home at lunch time. If only I could get her to take a nap I think her enthusiasm would last a little longer in the day. She has become obsessed with writing notes to everyone in the family, hopefully her new found love of letters will last.
I really think that having a calm summer helped us make a smooth transition back into school. They took two weeks of swim lessons early in July, but otherwise we were home just hanging out and having fun together. I'm trying to find ways to be at the school helping out more this year also, which will help me better know what struggles they are having and find ways to assist them. My one goal is that they will all be able to understand and function in the world around them without loosing their own identity or knowledge of their self worth. As a mother, that's all I can hope for.

Back to the Beginning

We had known for a while that something was "different" but it took the kindly advice of our son's Speech Therapist to really open our eyes to what exactly was going on. Son A had been in speech and occupational therapy from age 4 to age 6. Due to frequent ear infections as an infant his speech was unclear and his balance was awful. We were also told he had sensory integration deficit and proprioception problems, but no one ever suggested what more could be done or what these really meant.

When he was 6 the Navy sent us to California where all therapy stopped. Since he was ahead of his class academically (he'd taught himself to read at 3 1/2) they didn't see the need for assistance. Besides that, they only had one therapist for the district which covered 8 schools in three counties. Thank goodness for understanding teachers that ignored his hopping in line and repetitive coughing. And so it was that therapy ceased and A regressed. Well, maybe regressed is too strong. I guess he just stopped progressing.

A turned 9 the Spring before we returned to Washington State, leaving the Navy and returning home to the Tri-Cities. Fourth grade wasn't horrible, but I could see him fitting in less and less. He was however back in speech. By the beginning of his fifth grade year I had begun fighting hard to get him help. He had been coughing since the age of 3 and nothing we had done had ever helped at all. He was having hysterical crying episodes at least once a week, his eye contact had gotten spottier, and he was not functioning motor wise at par with his peers.

His doctor and teacher suggested ADHD, for which he began medicated . After 3 months and 4 different meds he hallucinated at 6am one morning. Screaming, crying, piling furniture in front of his bedroom door to keep us out. It was very frightening. That's the day we stopped giving him medicine. It's also about the same time I stopped writing this blog.

We had him tested for food allergies and he came up positive for more than 25, not including all their sub-foods. It was at this same time that his that his Speech Therapist mentioned Asperger's Syndrome. Being computer crazy, I immediately looked it up online was overjoyed and somewhat overwhelmed by what I found. My son fit every one of the criteria... gross motor, eye contact, IQ, obsessiveness with a subject, it was all there. I was so excited! It had a name, I wasn't crazy and overprotective, something was really wrong! But it was Autism... why hadn't anyone mentioned Autism before? Why didn't I know more about Autism? How had I, and so many others, missed something that seemed so obvious to me.

It was February of 2006 before I was able to have him officially tested by a pediatric neuro-psychologist. And what she found stunned me even more. It wasn't just Asperger's, it was also Tourette's and tremors and low muscle tone on his left side and Sensory Integration Deficit and, and, and.... How had ALL of this been missed? We took him off all medication immediately and for the first time in 8 years he stopped coughing! Somthing he had been given Asthma meds, allergy meds, and a myriad of other things for turned out to be Tourette's.

A month later I left for 5th grade camp with him. I didn't realize until the second day of camp that I was not only still in denial but still in shock also. That was the day that his group went out to the woods to learn fire building. He spent the entire hour and a half 30 feet from the group hanging upside down over a log. Amazingly though, on the last night of camp they played a Jeopardy game and he answered every question about fire building correctly. He had heard it all, but he needed to be away from the group to process it. It was so hard for me to watch how truly separated he was from the other kids. I was amazed also, and extremely grateful, at how protective they were of him.

This was the beginning of the journey for us. A journey that has taken a few twists and is no where near finished, but has brought me closer to my children.

Where to begin...

A sister of mine, one of many, mentioned recently that I need a place to vent. Being on my computer 2/3 of the day I immediately thought of blogging and then remembered that I used to have a blog. I hadn't realized just how long it's been since I've posted. Two and a half years. And what a wild chunk of time that has been.

In the last two and a half years my family has entered the worlds of Autism, Tourrette's, OCD, intense food allergies, and extreme Sensory Integration Disorder. We have also entered middle school, begun home schooling, and seen our youngest start school. We have changed vehicles twice, jobs 3 times, and all but completely halted remodeling on our home. We have gained 3 new cousins and are anxiously awaiting the arrivals of 3 more.

Yes, it's been an interesting time for us. Now I will attempt to fill in the gaps.